FromSoftware has finally announced the first DLC expansion for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree.
We only know that new expansions are officially in development, but From Software has a history of releasing substantial expansions rich in both new areas and bosses, as well as new story content. They are often essentially mini-sequels to the base game, usually ending the game’s story and hiding the true ending.
With this in mind, we’ve ranked all of the past FromSoftware DLCs for Dark Souls and Bloodborne, revisiting the expansions from the studios that arguably made the DLCs better than anyone else.FromSoftware DLC Ranked List Please check the following for
Spoilers for Dark Souls and Bloodborne DLC below.
Crown of the Sunken King.Credits: FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
7-6.) Dark Souls 2: The Old Iron Crown and Dark Souls 2: The Sunken King’s Crown
As an apologist for Dark Souls 2, my main criticism of the Dark Souls sequel comes down to balance issues. You can see it later in Elden Ring (Dark Souls 2 co-director Yui Tanimura will co-direct Elden Ring alongside Hidetaka Miyazaki). I found it incredibly difficult in a way that was not possible.
Dark Souls 2’s DLC has the same problem, and in fact adds some of the most frustrating parts of the entire Dark Souls series. It also features incredibly nasty platforming and hidden switches, whether it’s an underground city of Shurva built to worship poisonous dragons. To Broome Tower, a beautiful fortress guarded by a changing enemy.
Personally, I preferred Sunken King’s darker aesthetic, which takes place in a series of Mesoamerican-style pyramids in a sprawling underground kingdom, but both DLCs are most about seeing how the Souls area can deteriorate. He seems to be feeling happy.
Along with the Ivory Crown, the Sunken King’s Crown and the Old Iron Crown make up Dark Souls 2’s Lost Crown Trilogy, and the first two DLCs, Dark Souls 2, do more than the other two games in the trilogy. This is the reason why it is often not loved so much.
5.) Dark Souls 3: Ashes of Ariandel
The first of two Dark Souls 3 DLCs, Ashe of Ariandel revisits the painted world concept first introduced in Dark Souls 1.
While The Ringed City will set the final act of the Dark Souls trilogy, the first DLC will take place in a relatively small and sparse world. The Snowfield area is a large open field populated by tough warrior foes that, while gorgeous, feels almost optional, but it puts a big twist on Dark Souls 1’s fan-favorite boss fights.
The true heart of the DLC doesn’t emerge until you meet Sir Wilhelm and Sister Friede in the cathedral. FromSoftware seems to make up for the DLC’s lack of enemy variety by placing an exciting three-phase boss fight inside the walls of the chapel. It’s a PvP arena behind the scenes, set in an area that feels like an homage to Metal Gear Solid 3’s final battle.
On one note, when the player is finally confronted by Sir Wilhelm, he has a violent metaphor that accuses the player of needing to “reveal all the secrets” even if it means destroying the world. Deliver criticism. The idea that the inhabitants of the Dark Souls world know that progressing through the game only means a certain destiny for both the world and its inhabitants is the main reason for both the Dark Souls 3 DLC and the great meta storytelling. seems to be the theme of
Crown of the Ivory King.Credits: FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
4.) Dark Souls 2: Ivory Crown
The final DLC in the Dark Souls 2 DLC trilogy sets itself apart from the previous two both in terms of what it adds to Dark Souls’ story and in the fantastic final boss fight.
While the Sunken King and Old Iron King DLCs adopted new mechanics to increase the difficulty primarily, the Ivory King DLC seems to be a fully fleshed out location thanks to Eleum Loyce’s frozen kingdom. I feel
From the moment you step into Eleum Loyce, every challenge that gets in the way is tied to the tragic story of Alsanna and the Burnt Ivory King. Its main gameplay twist, which involves rescuing Eleum Loyce’s few imprisoned knights, builds towards him one of the most unique boss fights in the series. An army that fights against a major enemy.
Although they rank at the bottom of our list, Lost Crown Trilogy is still an ambitious series of DLCs that add a proper narrative thread that bridges the events between Dark Souls 1 and 2. Manus, the main boss of the first Dark Souls DLC, casts a large shadow over the events of Dark Souls 2 and its expansion. Dark Souls 2’s disjointed nature ultimately backfires, but the idea that the Dark Souls universe is made up of countless kingdoms and cultures and spans so many different eras and times is perhaps the most important part of the series. It’s his Dark Souls 2 biggest contribution to the whole.
circular city.Credits: FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
3.) Dark Souls 3: Ring City
Dark Souls 3 is on a mission to put an end to the events that started in the first game. His second DLC, The Ringed City, is meant to serve as his second-to-last chapter in the Dark Souls trilogy, and players will be able to enjoy the game, first revealed in Dark Souls 1. Step into the Ringed City, the kingdom of the Pygmy Lords.
The Ringed City ranks with some of the best cities featured in the Souls series. The walls of the kingdom dent as they are sucked into a vortex, which could be a reference to Junji Ito’s tragic town. Uzumaki.
The enemies that roam the city are dynamic and impressive in design, such as the Angel of Death that literally protects the sky and rains down hellfire, and the Judicator that summons the spirits of the army to protect the city. Then, when the player finally travels deep into the wall and travels through time and space itself, it faces off against him, one of the best sword-to-sword enemies in the game. This is his remix of one of the best of both Dark Souls his DLCs. Boss, Artorius of the Abyss.
The real gem hidden in The Ringed City DLC is how it brings together the Dark Souls series’ long storylines. Gwyn, with factions clinging to the Lord of Cinder’s cult, and like the Ashes of Ariandel, The Ringed City is inhabited by one of the game’s great NPCs, allowing players to experiment with all ambitions. will be As a series bookend, The Ringed City is a triumph, as narratively simple as the Dark Souls series gets.
Artorius of the Abyss.Credits: FromSoftware, Bandai Namco
2.) Dark Souls: Artorius of the Abyss
Artorias of the Abyss, the first DLC released in the Souls series, introduces a template for all Souls DLCs. A world of possibilities opened up for the Souls franchise when FromSoftware integrated the DLC content directly into the base game, adding hidden portals that players would also need to find to access the DLC. Suddenly, each new Dark Souls game hid a path to several potential new areas and questlines that would later be introduced via expansion DLC.
Everything else, like difficult doorkeeper bosses, dedicated PvP areas, and more, will become FromSoftware staples. And of course, his one of the best (and most tragic) boss fights in the entire series is included in the expansion pack. Importantly, the new area of Oolacile also introduced Manus, father of Abyss. This influence extends to Dark Souls 3 throughout the series.
With Artorias of the Abyss, FromSoftware showed that it doesn’t just release DLC to extend the life of the game. Dark Souls’ DLC expansion is transformative, completing an important storyline while also flexing the studio’s worldbuilding muscles. Boss fights are, for the most part, the best, or at least the hardest, in the series.
old hunter. Credits: FromSoftware, SIE
1.) Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
In the cathedral ward, it takes you past the tombstones and into the nightmare of a creepy abominable hunter.
The Old Hunters DLC is a perfect three-part play, letting hunters experience a true Lovecraftian nightmare that gets more sinister the deeper you go. Hunter’s Nightmare begins as if he’s just one of the new wards to explore. But once players get past Ludwig, they’ll discover that the Old Hunters DLC hides Bloodborne’s darkest secrets.
A research facility used for human experimentation, the Astral Tower is one of the most disturbing sources of lore ever created by FromSoftware, culminating in a truly haunting boss battle with Lady Maria. increase. A dueling-style boss that FromSoftware loves to add to her DLC expansion.
When the hunter overtakes her, FromSoftware settles any doubts that this is a Lovecraftian horror game by adapting Lovecraft’s “The Shadow over Innsmouth” directly. A recreation of the fishing village from Lovecraft’s famous novel. Overwhelming fog and rain, labyrinthine villages, fishing villages with a terrifying moon hanging low overhead are a bit of a nightmare.
The Old Hunters DLC distills Bloodborne to its most perfect form. Even if only The Old Hunters DLC was released, Bloodborne would still be considered a masterpiece, but like all FromSoftware DLCs, it’s built on such a solid foundation that it’s already out on all cylinders. It’s essential, not optional content, when FromSoftware releases and expands the game that was being launched.
We’ll have to wait and see what FromSoftware does with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, but with a rich pedigree of expansions already under its belt, the bar is certainly high for the first Elden Ring expansion.
Matt TM Kim is IGN’s Senior Feature Editor.you can contact him @lawoftd.
